“What if it’s not mine? And will any company insure it without an appraisal?”
Drew takes a card from behind the counter and hands it to me. “Call this guy. He’s with Lloyd’s. He’ll insure anything. If it turns out the ring’s not yours and you have to give it back, you’ll only be out a few bucks, and he’s good about refunding unused premiums.”
I pocket the card. “Thanks, Drew.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have anything,” he says.
I shove the ring back in my pocket.
Drew shakes his head and hands me a velvet box. “Put it in here, and don’t shove it in your pocket like that. It’s literally worth the moon.”
I nod, deposit the ring in the box, and then gently put it in the pocket of my coat.
“If I were you, I’d put that thing back in the safe-deposit box.”
“No worries. I have a safe at the house.”
“Perfect. Get it in there. Don’t keep it on you. You can’t risk losing that, Don.”
“I get it.” It belongs to Callie and only Callie, if I have anything to say about it. But just in case…
“Can you replicate this ring, Drew?”
“Not another pumpkin diamond like that, but I can create a reasonable facsimile.”
“With what?”
“An orange sapphire is the best bet. It’s a much less expensive stone and pretty easy to come by. Then of course the white gold and diamonds are no problem.”
“How soon could you do that?”
“I could probably have it for you by Friday, but it’ll cost you. I’ll have to do a lot of rush ordering.”
“Price is no object. This ring was made for my girlfriend. It doesn’t yet belong to me, but someday I will put it on her finger. In the meantime, I’d like to give her the next best thing.”
“Not a problem. I took a lot of photographs of the piece, so I should be able to easily replicate it.”
“Your work is always stellar,” I say. “I probably won’t even be able to tell the difference.”
“Oh, you won’t. I will, but I have the eye of a pro.” He laughs.
“Thanks. Give me a call when it’s ready, and I’ll be right in to get it. In the meantime, when you get any information on its ownership, call me right away.”
Later, as I’m getting ready to drive back to Snow Creek, I find myself in front of a dive bar on the outskirts of town.
It’s a place I recognize. Dad brought me here on my twenty-first birthday.
“Talon Steel!” an old barkeep says. “What’s it been…three years?”
“Almost exactly,” Dad says. “This is my son Donny. Today’s his twenty-first birthday.”
The barkeep nods to me. “You look a lot like your brother.”
“You brought Dale here?” I ask.
“Three years ago, when he turned twenty-one,” Dad says. “Didn’t he tell you?” Dad sits down on a barstool and nods to me to sit next to him.
“Nice to meet you,” the bartender says. “I’m Luke.”